How Smriti Mandhana scripted her career-best week at home sweet home in Bengaluru

Before June 16, Smriti Mandhana had not scored a single international century at home. When she was dismissed on June 23 off a top edge, Smriti Mandhana fell just 10 runs short of completing a hat-trick of ODI centuries in India. It was, quite simply, a career-defining week for the star left-handed batter in 50-over cricket. And it came at M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru, a venue that she can now truly consider her home.

With scores of 117, 136 and 90, the India vice-captain and Bengaluru’s first and only title-winning captain in franchise cricket, had a week to remember. Harmanpreet Kaur and Co registered an impressive 3-0 win against South Africa, offering a reminder of why ODIs are India’s (and Mandhana’s) best bet for a world title.

It wasn’t just a career-best week for Mandhana, it was a run-scoring performance not seen before in the format. Her aggregate of 343 runs from three matches is the most ever in a three-match women’s ODI series, bettering Tammy Beaumont’s 342 for England against Pakistan.

1st ODI: Scratchy but memorable
117 (127 balls, 12 fours, 1 six)

You always remember your first. Mandhana’s knock in the first ODI might not win many style points (and for her level of elegance, that is saying something). It was a functional century, but it ended a drought and an anomaly. For a batter of her class, not having a home century in her record book was a statistic that needed correcting.

On a two-paced wicket, the Indian batters found the going tough. The odd ball was keeping low, and the variance tested a rusty-looking batting lineup. Mandhana wasn’t at her fluent best either but she appeared more comfortable than anyone else that day. She restrained herself as India found themselves at 99/5. She then found herself a solid ally in Deepti Sharma, who stuck around for a while, as Mandhana went about accumulating. The boundaries weren’t coming by frequently, she had to run more than she’d like and was cramping towards the end, but she kept at it and got to her century with a stylish six from 93 to 99 and then a tap for a single.

1⃣1⃣7⃣ Runs
1⃣2⃣7⃣ Balls
1⃣2⃣ Fours
1⃣ Six

Smriti Mandhana 🤝 Superb Innings

Relive that knock 🎥 🔽 #TeamIndia | #INDvSA | @mandhana_smriti | @IDFCFIRSTBank

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) June 16, 2024

She didn’t realise at the time but a long wait was finally over. After Hobart, Taunton, Kimberly, Napier, Hamilton – it was Bengaluru’s turn to witness a Mandhana ton. And she made it the highest score by an Indian batter at home in this format. A record that would be beaten in a couple of days.

2nd ODI: Exploding after a slow start
136 (120 balls, 18 fours, 2 sixes)

Fresh from her century, Mandhana took her time in the 2nd ODI. And that’s no understatement. She took 17 balls to get off the mark, as India were positioned 28/0 in 10 overs. At that point, her career-best 136 and India’s eventual 325 seemed improbable. But it was, in hindsight, a well-calculated risk. With Marizanne Kapp not bowling in the series, India realised they just had to bat out the opening spells from South Africa’s top two pacers. Once they did that, the rest of the bowling lineup was there for the taking. Mandhana, and Harmanpreet, shifted through the gears delightfully as they both notched up fine centuries.

𝘽𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝘽𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙧𝙪! 🏟️👏

Sit back and enjoy #TeamIndia vice-captain @mandhana_smriti‘s milestone-filled knock 💯

WATCH 🎥🔽 #INDvSA | @IDFCFIRSTBankhttps://t.co/VLLKvZFjfI

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) June 19, 2024

That Kapp and Laura Wolvaardt also scored centuries and nearly took SA home in a run-fest, added further heft to how well Mandhana and Harmanpreet batted that day.

“Cricket has taught us to take nothing for granted. You start from zero,” Mandhana said about her career-best knock. “I didn’t really think about what happened in the last match, it was important to come out fresh today and do the job for the team. They bowled brilliantly in the first 10-15 overs, hitting the right areas. I had to change the way I had planned the innings.”

3rd ODI: No hat-trick, but best knock
90 (83 balls, 11 fours)

Strange how cricket works sometimes because Mandhana’s best knock of the series was the one where she actually fell short of the three-figure milestone. Perhaps it was the form she came into the match with, perhaps it was the series scoreline being 2-0 or perhaps it was a run-chase where there wasn’t much scoreboard pressure. Whatever was the reason, Mandhana played her most unshackled knock yet, hitting the ground running from the first over. Once she hit three fours in one Nadine de Klerk over (6th of the innings), she didn’t look back.

Narrowly misses out on her 3rd successive ODI hundred…

…but that was one fantastic knock from #TeamIndia vice-captain @mandhana_smriti! 🙌 🙌

The reactions from the dugout & the crowd say it all 👏 👏

Follow The Match ▶️ https://t.co/Y7KFKaW91Y#INDvSA | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/JaTSsPEOFT

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) June 23, 2024

When a hat-trick of centuries felt almost inevitable, she fell to a sweep shot that took the top edge and looped to the fielder at short fine. It was a soft dismissal but once the shock of the moment was met with silence from the Chinnaswamy crowd (a fabulous turnout on a Sunday), they stood up to applaud. Harmanpreet ran and gave her deputy a bear hug. Her teammates cheered her on. The focus over the next couple of months will all be on T20 cricket for India but her 343-run effort in Bengaluru augurs so well for India ahead of a home 50-over World Cup next year.

Most runs recorded in a three-match women’s ODI series:

343 Smriti Mandhana, IND vs SA, 2024 (home)
342 Tammy Beaumont ENG vs PAK, 2016 (home)
342 Amelia Kerr NZ v IRE, 2018 (away)
335 Laura Wolvaardt SA v SL, 2024 (home)
325 Hayley Matthews WI v PAK, 2024 (away)

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